Amazon Apocalypse 4: Chapter 48

We stormed Molagor’s castle the following day, with most of my army behind me. With the demon general dead and the place thoroughly scouted, our victory was assured, and I wanted the men to take part in it.

Most of his guards were undead and were soon taken care of by me or Prince Eowyn, but there were a few other skinless demons on the walls. Like Molagor, they had probably once been men, but the blessings of a Chaos God had made them far stronger. But not nearly strong enough. They spent the last half hour as we took the castle pounding on the door and trying to figure out why their leader wasn’t coming out before soon being swarmed by a dozen knights each.

No doubt they thought he had a particularly bad hangover after a long night of drinking. If Molagor hadn’t chosen such a secure place to sleep, his men would have been able to break in and see that he was already dead. But he’d claimed the inner bailey for himself, and the doors were built to withstand anything short of a battering ram, which was what we used to finally open the place up.

I made myself scarce as Prince Eowyn and High Priestess Calista rescued and garbed the terrified former noblewomen. The ladies had good heads on their shoulders, and once they figured out what was going on, I saw a few of them clinging to my ranking knights. With all the men in their families dead, they had limited opportunity to reclaim and maintain their families’ holdings. And that meant gaining military support and influence. I didn't mind it, since my knights certainly got something out of it too. And more importantly, if they didn't before, now they had something worth fighting for.

I made myself scarce so none of them would go for me, but otherwise let the situation run its course. While I promised to lead my forces to victory against the Demon King, I had no intention of restoring every fallen noble house. Their fates were up to them.

Prince Eowyn was the first to cast off overly eager suitors and found my hiding spot. He likely thought as I did and wanted somewhere to hide from them.

“I thought I might find you here,” he said.

I shot him a sly smile. “None of the rescued maidens suit your fancy? I thought they’d be using you for your access to troops and the security your station provides, but you would have free use of them in return. There’s no shame in accepting the bargain, though I’d be wary of forging any lifelong marriages on such an arrangement.”

Prince Eowyn shook his head and quickly rambled. “It... wouldn’t work with me. That’s actually something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. I’ve just struggled to find the chance. You see, I have a secret. Something I committed to for the good of my kingdom and the men who swear loyalty to my banner. My father had few heirs, and when we realized he and my brother were likely dead, I--“

Before he could explain himself in full, a terrifying roar shook the air.

“W-what was that?” Prince Eowyn asked.

I recognized the sound. I’d heard it all too frequently lately.

“Dragon.”

I knew one was here. And now I’d finally see what I was up against.

I climbed the wooden roof that covered the top of the tower I was on to get a better view. Sure enough, a dragon was coming my way, and it seemed a hair bigger than the one I’d fought, though simultaneously a bit less fearsome.

Windblade Dragon (Level 185)

The dragon itself would be a decent challenge, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Of greater interest was the black robe-clad figure riding on the dragon’s back. From the skeletal face hidden by his hood, I judged this to be the necromancer I’d heard so much about.

Elder Lich (Level 200)

There he was. The B-Grade I was waiting for. The Dragon, the Lich, the Chaos Gods... now all I was missing was the idiot the quest promised me. Seeing as the only one I hadn’t seen yet was the Demon King, I suspected that was him.

Neither Prince Eowyn nor anyone else could withstand the Windblade Dragon, and certainly not the Elder Lich. That meant the job was left to me. I activated my Multipurpose Glyphs and summoned my silver armor once more. Cape fluttering on the rooftop, I suddenly went from hidden to catching all eyes in sight below me.

I shouted to get the attention of the Lich.

“So you’re the necromancer I keep hearing about. The right hand to the so-called Demon King?”

“Ah, the hero himself. Your fame precedes you,” the necromancer replied in a high, almost cackling voice. “A mere week ago, these foolish knights and lords cowered in their cathedral, praying for the heavens to save them. Their spirits were broken, and they had accepted defeat. And then you came and ruined it all! I can not stand such insolence. But worry not, their wills will amount to nothing as they burn in dragonfire and rise again as my undead servants!”

The dragon reared back, and fire bloomed in its mouth. On the ground, there were screams of fear and terror.

“The beast is back! Heavens above, for a moment, I thought we could win.”

“That beast roasted my king’s army, and now it will do the same to us.”

“It’s a monster that can’t be killed! Flee, or soon we’ll be undead!”

The Lich had arrived to break the wills of my army. I’d only rebuilt their spirits to the point that they were willing to fight by my side. Here and now, at this crucial moment, a single dragon could strike fear into their hearts and break their will to fight once more, ruining everything I’d built.

That could not be allowed.

“No!” I shouted, catching all eyes once again. I used Shadowrealm Stride to switch to the shadow realm and squeeze the distance between the roof I stood on and the dragon from afar. To the people gazing up from down below, I flashed across the sky in the blink of an eye. All they saw was a flash of a cape and silver armor, and suddenly, the dragon reeled back in pain with a sword plunged hilt-deep in its eye.

The dragon roared again, this time in pain. I raised my voice to carry over its screams.

“This beast can be killed! Watch as I make it bleed.” I swung my legs, twisting the sword as I swung myself over the hilt and onto the dragon’s head. It bucked to throw me off, but my legs were latched firmly around its head as I stirred its brains with my sword.

The dragon refused to die, despite a sword through its brain. But it did lose its ability to fly as it plummeted toward the ground.

“No! No!” the Lich screamed. He cast a spell at me, but I activated another glyph in his face. This one released a whole bundle of Mega Mana Bombs right in his face, destroying his spell and leaving him wide open for a volley of Mana Bolts.

The dragon landed in the castle courtyard a moment later, and bones snapped as it landed awkwardly.

“I’ll gut you like a fish!” the Lich swore unsightly boils blossomed on his bones from my Mana Bolts.

He cast magic dark and terrible, and I shielded myself with Aegis of the Void while I turned and shouted. “Now’s your chance, men! Take up arms and finish the beast off!”

As quick as a heartbeat, my warriors tuned from despair to jubilation as they drew spears, swords, bows, and anything else they had on hand and charged the fallen dragon. Soon it was beset by a thousand angry knights.

The Lich cursed again. “Damn you, hero! Who are you? How in the abyss did you even find this pocket realm?”

He lunged for me again, abandoning his magic as he charged with open bony palms. Against a warrior like I appeared to be, it was a foolhardy move. Even with the advantage of being B-Grade, he should have known better, but perhaps he’d seen through my disguise thanks to my spells and realized I was a spellcaster like him.

But whether foolhardy or clever, the result was the same. I shoved myself upward, meeting his lunge with my own as I flared Eldrich Augmentation and poured extra mana into my armor. His fist struck my armor, and my skin burned through my armor. But in my hand, I held the Divine Seal, and when it touched the Lich, fire engulfed him as though he were one of the lesser undead I smote in mass.

“Ahhhh!” the Lich screamed in agony. He clutched at his eyes as the glowing sockets dimmed. I turned to the dragon underneath me. Wounded as it was, it was still batting my knights around like a cat surrounded by rats.

I reached for a broken spear shaft embedded near my leg, and with one swift motion, I cast Arcane Blade and jammed it through the dragon’s other eye, truly blinding it. With either arm, I withdrew both my sword and the broken spear and hoisted them high.

“Lich and beast, you’re nothing before a righteous heart!”

I leaped high, both weapons extended as I shrugged off the flames burning the Lich before me. I jammed both weapons through the Lich’s bones in one smooth stroke, pinning him to the dragon beneath him.

I felt Destined Death take hold, and the damage I dealt to both dragon and Lich increased exponentially.

“Teleport! Teleport! Teleport now!” the Lich screeched, and familiar light swirled around his body, similar to Morgathor’s teleportation spell. His body faded, and soon he vanished from sight entirely.

A moment later, a similar light flashed around the dragon. But I would not be cheated out of both my kills.

For all my allies’ attempts to slay the beast, they’d done little more than mark its scales. It was no wonder this thing had decimated their armies already. But my Corrupting Marks already ran through its body, and soon I’d unleash them in full. I tore my sword out of its back, casting Arcane Blade again as blue light in the shape of an enormous sword enveloped it. Then I wrenched back the dragon’s head with all my strength and sawed at its neck.

Just before the teleportation swept the dragon away, the head popped free and fell to the ground. I grabbed the nearest horn, though it was as large as I was, and hoisted it overhead with a ferocious roar.

“The beast is dead!” I proclaimed.

“Hero! Hero! Hero!” my soldiers chanted. What had once been respect and admiration now caught flame into religious fervor. They chanted my title like it alone had the strength to slay the demon king and slay all the monsters that plagued their land.

This was a genuine victory, far more than any I could have hoped. What should have seen my people broken and destroyed had seen one of the enemy’s greatest weapons slain and the right hand of the Demon King fleeing for his life.

I let them celebrate awhile, though truthfully, such praise made me all the more awkward. I was playing a character for these people. The System gave me a quest to be a hero, and I was being one, but it wasn’t really who I was. None of them seemed to , though.

“Heavens above, I didn’t believe it until now.” High Priestess Calista wrapped her arms around my neck. Not caring about the crowd surrounding us at all, she planted a kiss full on the lips. The crowd cheered as though the high priestess had kissed them instead of me.

Panting, she let me go as tears of joy streamed from her eyes. “I did not believe it until now, but perhaps the heavens truly do have eyes! All our prayers were not in vain, for we have been given a hero like no other. This moment shall go down in song and story so long as any mortal soul in this realm draws breath.”

There were another round of cheers nearby, and someone broke out drinks to salute me. A party broke out, and with the good cheer of the crowd, I wasn’t sure I could stop them even if I gave the order. One by one, people raised their cups to praise my name. The only one I didn’t see among them was Prince Eowyn.


<Note>

Carter beat this dragon a lot quicker! Granted, he landed a critical hit right at the start, and this one didn't have three phases.